Mankind's Cultural Heritage in Brazil

FRANCE - BRAZIL SEMINAR DISCUSSES HERITAGE DEFENSE

The France-Brazil Seminar on Cultural Heritage, held from October 5 to 8, is part of the Year of France Programming in Brazil. The meeting to be held at Gustavo Capanema Palace (Rua da Imprensa, 16, Downtown) will be open to the public free of admission fee. Participants can register at the site before the starting of every day program. The event is limited to 500 participants.

One of the centerpieces of the event is the signing of the Intentions Protocol by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture, represented by the president of the Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage (Iphan), Luiz Fernando de Almeida, and the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, through the Architecture and Heritage Board (Dapa), represented by its director, Michel Clément.

The France-Brazil Seminar on Cultural Heritage is also an opportunity to discuss and get to know the proposals of outstanding researchers and scientist from Brazil and abroad, like Patrick Schnepp, director of the La Rochelle Marine Museum, in France, and Bruno Favel, chief of the Mission of European and International Affairs, Dapa Board of Architecture and Heritage. Professor Carlos Albeter Etchevarne, researcher in urban archeology and rock paintings, Luiz Phelipe Andrès, from Minas Gerais who wrote many publications on heritage, director of the Estaleiro Escola of São Luís do Maranhão and member of Iphan Consultative Council have also attended the debates.

Other highlights in the national context are Professor Aziz Ag'Saber, scientist and professor, considered to be reference in matters related to environmental impacts and environment, who will participate in the discussions on cultural landscape, and the architect and professor of the University of Sao Paulo – Hugo Segawa, coordinator of Docomomo – an international organization oriented to preserve the contemporary architecture.

Thematic roundtables

The first day is devoted to archeology, starting by debating the legislation of both countries to identify possibilities of legal and procedural advances in the field of archeology in Brazil. The topic of Cultural Landscapes and Inventories, which will be discussed on the second day, is one of the great challenges posed to Iphan today, since the constructing of a legal tool to certify the Brazilian Cultural Landscapes is still under discussion.

Naval Heritage will be addressed in the third day of the event. The topic was selected because France is one of the countries with most relevant naval tradition in the world. Although Brazil houses the largest diversity of traditional vessels in the world, Naval Heritage remains an unexplored field. It is worth mentioning that the exhibition Boats from Brazil and the Ávares Câmara Collection – 21st Century, launched by Iphan in 2008 and which has visited different Brazilian cities, will be held at Gustavo Capanema Palace, in Rio de Janeiro, simultaneously to the seminar. The exhibition shows replicas of maritime, fluvial and lake vessels used in Brazil.

Modern and Contemporary Architecture closes the France-Brazil Seminar on Cultural Heritage on October 8. Here also the French experience would improve reflection and expand the debate on protection to modern architecture and the contemporary architecture quality, assessing the interventions currently carried out in both Brazilian and French historical centers.

(Source: IPHAN)